Killings Raise Political Tension in Cambodia

Who killed Prince Ranariddh’s senior adviser, Om Radsady, is the question that is baffling many ministers and diplomats, as is the lack of clues over who was really behind the Jan 29 anti-Thai riots. Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior has offered a record 50-million-riel (S$23,700) reward for any information leading to the arrest of Mr Om Radsady’s killers in an unprecedented attempt to demonstrate a serious commitment to the police investi- gation. And just as an investigation on the Om Radsady murder was about to get under way, a fourth politician was killed. An explosion on Friday night inside the Kampot province home of 51-year-old Chan Ning, of the Sam Rainsy Party, left him with shrapnel wounds to his upper body and neck. He died from his injuries. The UN human rights reports have frequently complained that a series of political killings in Cambodia have never been properly investigated and remain mysteriously unsolved. Posting this massive reward – by far the biggest ever in Cambodia – indicates that Mr Sar Kheng, the Minister of the Interior, wants to convey to a sceptical public that this investigation will be different. The high-level investigation team is led by deputy police chief and two-star general So Phan, who is affiliated with the Funcinpec Party. Full Story

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